Even when work is just a means to an end to pay the bills, it’s important to enjoy as much of it as possible as it’s where most of us spend the bulk of our waking hours.

Most people feel they are in the wrong role, underpaid and undervalued at some stage in the week but the hardest thing of all is knowing what might make things better.

Sadly, the laugh a minute job doesn’t exist for most people, and the scope to be a racing driver or a supermodel is severely limited. But no-one should routinely dread getting up in the morning on weekdays, and if they do, they are probably in dire need of a change.

The secret to getting the most out of your job is knowing what’s important to you, according to the experts at leading recruitment agency, Search Consultancy. For some this might mean freedom, and for others it might be routine. Some like personal challenge and some thrive on teamwork.

Sadly, many people are reluctant to leave the devil they know to explore what else might be open to them. But the consultants at Search argue that a good recruitment consultant can help you identify your options and what it would take to make the change.

Sarah McParland, Director with Search said, “A good recruitment consultant is not in the business of putting round pegs into square holes and will spend time with candidates exploring their strengths, skills and ambitions before putting them forward for a role.

“Just as importantly, they will have taken a clear brief from their client about the job on offer and what sort of person would do well there. This takes into account the culture of the organisation and the make-up of the team in which the candidate would be assigned.

“There’s no point in putting a quiet, methodical character into a lively, unstructured environment if that would make them unhappy. And that holds true whether they have the technical skills for the job or not.

“At Search, we don’t just look for a match of paper qualifications, we look for the best fit available between the candidate and client.”

To achieve this, Search offers one to one interviews to prospective clients at all levels. They can also use psychometric or other testing methods to assess candidate suitability, always with the aim of finding a good match.

A good recruitment consultant helps individuals to be realistic about their options and will advise on any skills gaps which the candidate might need to work on to achieve their goal. There’s no point in just wishing for the moon and it can be a revelation to some people just how easy it is to make a change which suits their current circumstances much better than staying in the same old rut.

McParland adds, “It’s not unusual for people to investigate their options and decide that all they need is a change of firm or culture to give them back their drive. Sometimes, a different boss or change of hours and conditions is all that’s required. At other times, a radical revamp of lifestyle and goals is in order. No two people are the same”.